Right Here
by RedLion2
Summary: When Di is upset, Martin offers her some brotherly comfort.


_Martin Mystery_ and its characters belong to Marathon.

Just a little one-shot I thought up today...

Right Here

Diana Lombard walked out of the Torrington Academy library and drew a deep breath, trying to keep her focus. The slender sixteen year old with auburn hair was tired, and more than ready for some serious sleep. But she knew sleep was far-off in her future – she had a major political science test the following day, and had some heavy studying to do.

She waded through the groups of students as she made way for her room, where she could collapse in peace. Because honestly? That's what she really wanted. The other students glanced at her on occasion, some making snide remarks about what a brainiac she was, others scoffing at her often-clumsy sporting attempts. They didn't see, couldn't tell, how tired she was, how pale her skin had become over the last month. They didn't really know her. And they didn't care.

But one student, a tall, athletic blonde with big hazel eyes that darkened when he was provoked or angry, knew Diana, and he wasn't happy with what he saw. He knew her rather well, as it were, because she was his younger step-sister. Younger by only six or seven months (he couldn't ever seem to remember), but young enough to call himself her big bro.

Martin Mystery stealthily followed his step-sister, for once ignoring the bevy of hot girls that normally had him spiking a high temp and running a loose mouth. He only had eyes for Di, as he called her, and those eyes radiated a certain concern. She hadn't been herself lately, and that worried him, much more than he'd ever let show. When Di slipped into her room, shutting her door without a backward glance, Martin paused outside. He pressed his ear to the door, listening intently for any sounds.

At first he heard nothing, but then his ear picked up a tiny little sob, and his hazel eyes immediately narrowed. Why was she crying? Had she hurt herself somehow? But when the tiny sob became a chest-wrenching one, Martin knew he had to invade, whatever the cost to him physically.

Diana had a mean fist when she was angry.

The pretty young woman was curled up on her bed when her door opened and her step-brother walked in. She sat up in haste, reaching with her hands to wipe away the tears that slid purposefully down her face. "Martin! What are you doing here?" There was no anger in her voice, but he detected a slight bit of hopefulness, though he wasn't sure why.

"Hey Di." He sat on the end of her bed and glanced around, trying not to show how concerned he was. For as much as they fought and argued, she was his best friend, and whenever she was upset, truly upset, so was he. "So what's up?" he finally asked, finally landing his warm gaze on her.

She swallowed back the last of her weary tears and sighed. "I have a big test tomorrow, and—"

"That's why you're crying? Think you'll fail?" Martin was grinning now and shoved himself up off the bed. That was her problem?

Diana felt the tears sliding forward into her emerald eyes again and turned away, her auburn hair swishing at her slender shoulders. How could she expect _him_ to understand? He didn't study for tests. He didn't usually attend classes, except his art one. And he bounced back from their Center missions much easier than she did. _He probably never has nightmares. I'm lucky to go half a night without one._

"Di? Hey, come on. You know you'll pass." Martin had approached her, and there was deep concern in both his eyes and tenor voice. He hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder but she moved away, irritation in every movement of her body.

"Martin, just...just go away, okay? I'm not in the mood," she told him, not wanting his humor. Not now.

"What's wrong? And don't say nothing." He intercepted her, his arms crossed over his broad chest. She had to look up to see his face, and his worried expression nearly put her to tears again.

"I'm just tired." She didn't have to give away everything, and she _was_ tired, more than normal. Of course, they'd just arrived back from a Center mission the night before, and she'd gotten little sleep, due to nightmares of falling to her death.

"Yeah right. Come on. Tell me." Now there was insistence in his voice, and Diana didn't like it. She didn't want to burden her brother with any of her problems: he had enough of his own already, in her opinion.

"Just leave." But before she could turn away, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, a big grin on his face. If he couldn't talk it out of her, he'd do it teasingly, which was more his style, anyway.

"So the test doesn't bother you. Is it man problems, then? Marvin not giving you attention?" He knew it was a way-low blow to bring up the other hot shot Center agent, but she wasn't leaving him with many choices.

Diana sat up and took a deep breath, trying, in utter and useless desperation, to push back her tears. They came anyway, flooding and hot, their salty bitterness blazing down her face. She shuddered as a low sob ripped from her throat, and she wrapped her arms around her torso, as if to ward off a chill.

Martin's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting this type of reaction. Was that really the reason for her growing melancholy? Had Marvin said something to her, something that hurt? His eyes darkened at the serious thought. No one was allowed to hurt her. He went to the bed and sat down beside her, reaching out for her shoulder.

"Di? Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"J-just g-go a-away." She recoiled from his touch, and huddled into herself more. Martin's eyes narrowed. This was unacceptable. If she was hurting, and it appeared she was, then he was here to fix it.

"No. Tell me what Marvin said."

"M-Marvin? W-what?" She looked at him, and it was almost more than he could bear, seeing the pain in her deep green eyes.

"He must've said something to hurt you, right? That's why you're upset?"

And suddenly, with the concern in his eyes and the note of protection in his voice, Diana realized just how much she meant to him. She let out a small sobbing gasp and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

Martin reached around her and hugged back, confused by her sudden show of affection. "Um, sis? What's wrong?"

Diana gave him another squeeze and pushed away, giving him a sad little smile. Should she tell him the real reason for her erratic behavior? "I-I have a confession to make." She stopped, her mouth unable to form the right words. He nodded, encouraging her, needing to know what was really bothering her. "I'm thinking about quitting the Center." There. She at last had it off her chest.

Martin stared at her like she was one of the aliens they routinely chased. "What? Why?"

"Because, because it's getting in the way of everything. I'm tired all the time, and it's harder to keep up with my homework," she said, knowing she had yet to tell him the real reason.

"You love the Center," Martin argued, and for once, there was nothing joking in his manner. "You can't just stop being an agent."

Her emerald eyes softened. Of course he wouldn't want her to quit. If she did, he'd need a new partner, and the most likely choice for that was Marvin, his rival, and newly-arrived back from Antarctica. "Yes, I can. Besides, you'd get a better partner. One who wasn't so clumsy, one who liked all the slime and—"

"I want _you_, sis." His voice was filled with hard determination. "No one else could put up with me like you do."

"Martin—"

"No. I won't let you quit."

She sighed. She had completely expected this, but it was hard. "There's another reason, the biggest reason of all."

"And that is?" His hazel eyes glittered in defiance. He wasn't letting her quit, no matter her big reason. They could overcome it.

Diana fidgeted for a few moments. How would he react to this? He'd probably never believe it. "I'm just...I'm just getting too scared to go." Her voice shook, and her eyes leveled on his, begging him to understand.

Martin's first reaction was a scoff, and then a laugh. "What? Di, that's so lame! You never act – well, okay you _do _act scared, but come on!" He was laughing now, and at first he missed the shake in her frame, the tears that had started falling again. But when she began to sob, he was instantly aware that she had meant what she'd said. He was also aware that he didn't like the sound of her raspy breathing.

"Di, relax. Come on, I'm sorry for laughing." Martin put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She was still crying, each shuddering breath clawing at his own chest. Not knowing what else to do, he moved behind her and wrapped her in a warm, deep hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Shh, sis. Please."

She willed herself to relax, and found it easy to do, with his solid chest against her back. The tears started to slow as she fought to control them. Martin gave her a few gentle squeezes, wishing he knew exactly what was going on. Diana was pretty tough, and even though she did tend to spook easily on their missions, she always got through them. But seeing her now, the tears and the shaking, had he missed something? Was he partly to blame for her growing fear?

"Di? Do the missions scare you that much, or is it because of me?" The doubt in his voice was tentative, and she turned in his hold so she could see his face.

"It's the missions. I mean, what's been happening lately. I almost fell yesterday..." A violent shudder punctuated her words. "I don't want to do this anymore. I couldn't sleep at all last night because of my nightmares. I kept dreaming that I was on that cliff again, only this time, you weren't there to save me." He heard the slight trail of terror in her voice, and he had the urge to hug her really hard, just to show her that he was here, and that she was completely safe.

After all, what are big brothers for?

"I'm sorry, Di. I didn't know you felt that way." _So in a way, I'm responsible. She's afraid I won't be there when she needs me to be. _

Diana got up and walked away from him, and he felt like he was losing something. Something that meant a lot more to him than he could ever have imagined. "It's not your fault," she said, wiping her cheeks with the palms of her hands. "It's just getting to be too much for me."

"Why didn't you say anything before? Are you afraid I won't be there, sis? That something will happen to you?" His voice had picked up an edge, and it brought Diana's head around. Her emerald eyes caught a fast glimpse of a picture taken at her sixteenth birthday party. It showed her and Martin, their arms around each other, gleefully mugging for the camera.

The angry retort simmering on her lips died.

"What if you _aren't_ there?" she whispered, and any anger on her step-brother's part faded away. His hazel eyes softened as he approached her. His strong hands went to her shoulders, holding her gently captive. "Martin—"

"Di, I know you've had some scares the last couple of missions. But I promise, no matter what happens, I will be there to protect you. That's my job," he said, and added, "Besides, and I'm only going to say this once, so listen: you are my best friend, and I need you with me on the missions."

Diana swallowed hard and looked down, away from the sweetness in his eyes. How could her self-righteous, obnoxious step-brother be so nice? And why didn't he act like this more often? But she already knew why. He didn't have to act like this all the time. She knew instinctively how he truly felt about her.

"I-I don't know what to say," she murmured, finally bringing her emerald gaze to his sparkling hazel one. He grinned at her.

"Say you won't quit – ever."

She had to smile at that, and even though she still had reservations, she slowly nodded. "Okay. But you better keep your promise, Mystery."

He drew her to him in a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I will." Easing her away from him, he added, "Now, we need food. I am starving!" Diana laughed.

"Let me get my purse, goofball. I'll actually treat you tonight." She turned away, but said quietly, "Thank you, Martin."

"You're welcome. Now move it or lose it, sister!" As he watched her frown and roll her eyes, he smiled, a fond look in his eyes. Yes, he would keep his heartfelt promise.

He would always be here for her.

Right here.


End file.
